Alexander Payne has made some of my favorite dramas of the past ten years (Sideways, About Schmidt) and adds a new fave here with The Descendants. George Clooney is excellent as a disconnected father forced to reexamine his life after his wife suffers a brain injury in a boating accident and slips into a coma. Shailene Woodley is excellent as his older daughter who helps her father re-discover his life. With everything we have been through in our lives with Kristin's brain injury, this film was emotionally a wrecking ball, but beautifully made, smartly written and flawlessly acted by the entire cast. Watch for Beau Bridges and Robert Forster in small but powerful roles. The Descendants delivers an A.
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